Mrs. Fiske Spoke on "The Theatre"

Mrs. Fiske delivered an address in Sanders Theatre yesterday afternoon under the auspices of the Ethical Society on "The Theatre."

Artists often wonder, said Mrs. Fiske, if they are doing any good when they compare their art with practical human work which supplies a pressing need. The justification of the drama must be found in its power to soften the brutal instincts which lie hidden in every man. Acting today is becoming specialized, and the range of actors is growing smaller. The actors of the past generation were better in Shakespearian roles than modern actors: but today plays are perfectly mounted and the actors excel in showing the problems of every day life. In modern plays there is less outward motion and more exposition of human consciousness, less noise and more feeling. This new field has been opened by Ibsen. A star play tries to exploit a single personality and so spoils the harmony of the whole. For this reason no great writer has ever written star plays. The difference between the plays of a generation ago and of today may be seen by comparing Sardou and Ibsen. Sardon is theatrical and mechanical, while Ibsen is perfectly natural. He shows only the finer parts of his characters' lives and therefore in order to act Ibsen it is necessary for the actor to study the life of the character from childhood up. Real dramatic appreciation is rare in this country and the stage can only become what it should be when the public will take nothing but the best.